Comparative Economics of Cattle and Wildlife Ranching in the Zimbabwe Midlands

The economics of ranches in the Zimbabwe Midlands, generating income from cattle, or wildlife, or both, were compared during 1989/90 to test the claim that wildlife ranching can generate greater profits than cattle ranching on semi-arid African savannas. Both financial (market) prices and economic prices (opportunity cost) were used. Financial data were obtained from 15 cattle, 7 wildlife and 13 mixed ranches in four areas with wildlife and from 15 cattle ranches in two areas with sparse wildlife. Estimates of economic prices were obtained from official data. In the first paper, gross revenues, costs, net revenues, and capital investments of each ranch type were compared. Cattle ranches in the areas with sparse wildlife provided the greatest net revenues while only mixed ranches were financially profitable in areas with abundant wildlife. Wildlife ranches had the least capital investments. In the second paper a policy analysis matrix was used to compare financial and economic profitability. Excluding policy interventions, cattle ranches in areas with sparse wildlife were most profitable. Negative financial-economic profit differences showed that all ranchers faced production disincentives, but cattle ranchers were affected the most. In the third paper an attempt was made to quantify the cost of lost rangeland productivity due to overstocking. Carrying capacities and stocking rates were estimated and a range of overstocking costs was used. Cattle ranches appeared to be overstocked while wildlife ranches were not. Thus the larger economic profit of cattle versus wildlife ranches decreased when range productivity loss increased. The last paper compared the relative efficiency of cattle, wildlife, and mixed ranches from the financial perspective (using the private cost ratio) and from the national perspective (using the domestic resource cost). While few ranches were financially efficient, cattle ranches with sparse wildlife and mixed and wildlife operations were found to be economically efficient when overstocking costs were not charged. With increased rangeland sensitivity to overstocking, the probability of economic inefficiency increased more for cattle than mixed or wildlife ranches. This study did not corroborate the claim that wildlife ranching is more profitable or efficient than cattle ranching in semi-arid African savannas

Social and Ecological Factors Influencing Attitudes Toward the Application of High-Intensity Prescribed Burns to Restore Fire Adapted Grassland Ecosystems

Fire suppression in grassland systems that are adapted to episodic fire has contributed to the recruitment of woody species in grasslands worldwide. Even though the ecology of restoring these fire prone systems back to grassland states is becoming clearer, a major hurdle to the reintroduction of historic fires at a landscape scale is its social acceptability. Despite the growing body of literature on the social aspects of fire, an understanding of the human dimensions of applying high-intensity prescribed burns in grassland and savanna systems is lacking. We used structural equation modeling to examine how landowners' attitudes toward high-intensity prescribed burns are affected by previous experience with burning, perceptions of brush encroachment, land condition, proximity constraints, risk orientation, fire management knowledge and skill, access to fire management equipment, and subjective norms. Our results suggest that experience, risk taking orientation, and especially social norms, i.e., perceived support from others, when implementing prescribed burns play an important role in determining the attitudes of landowners toward the use of high-intensity prescribed burns. Concern over lack of skill, knowledge, and insufficient resources have a moderately negative effect on these attitudes. Our results highlight the importance of targeted engagement strategies to address risk perceptions, subjective norms, and landowner's concerns. With these concerns allayed, it is possible to increase the adoption of high-intensity prescribed burns that lead to landscape-scale grassland restoration and conservation

Texas landowner perceptions regarding ecosystem services and cost-sharing land management programs

Abstract Publicly funded management programs can enhance important ecological services including watershed functions, wildlife habitat, and carbon sequestration. A mail survey was conducted in 2003 in the Western Edwards Aquifer area of Texas to assess landowner perceptions regarding the supply of ecological services from rangelands and their willingness to participate in various land management programs aimed at enhancing such services, which are receiving increasing public consideration. In general, landowners favorably viewed programs that would reduce woody plant (brush) cover in an effort to increase water yields or to improve wildlife habitat, but they disapproved of programs that would encourage the proliferation of woody plants in an attempt to increase atmospheric carbon sequestration. In addition, whether land management programs were voluntary or mandatory had a much greater influence on the level of landowner willingness to participate in programs than the availability of publicly funded cost-sharing. Three-fourths of respondents indicated they would be willing to enroll in cost-sharing brush management programs, and most viewed short-term (5-10 year) performance contracts as the most acceptable legal instrument for participating. To deal with ecosystem trade-offs resulting from woody plant management, we recommend that publicly funded programs aimed at enhancing ecosystem services through effective woody plant management should be flexible. In addition, we recommend the promotion of ecosystem level planning for such programs and cooperative management strategies for landowners participating in such program in order to maximize the effectiveness of associated public investments.

Texas landowner perceptions regarding ecosystem services and cost-sharing land management programs

Abstract Publicly funded management programs can enhance important ecological services including watershed functions, wildlife habitat, and carbon sequestration. A mail survey was conducted in 2003 in the Western Edwards Aquifer area of Texas to assess landowner perceptions regarding the supply of ecological services from rangelands and their willingness to participate in various land management programs aimed at enhancing such services, which are receiving increasing public consideration. In general, landowners favorably viewed programs that would reduce woody plant (brush) cover in an effort to increase water yields or to improve wildlife habitat, but they disapproved of programs that would encourage the proliferation of woody plants in an attempt to increase atmospheric carbon sequestration. In addition, whether land management programs were voluntary or mandatory had a much greater influence on the level of landowner willingness to participate in programs than the availability of publicly funded cost-sharing. Three-fourths of respondents indicated they would be willing to enroll in cost-sharing brush management programs, and most viewed short-term (5-10 year) performance contracts as the most acceptable legal instrument for participating. To deal with ecosystem trade-offs resulting from woody plant management, we recommend that publicly funded programs aimed at enhancing ecosystem services through effective woody plant management should be flexible. In addition, we recommend the promotion of ecosystem level planning for such programs and cooperative management strategies for landowners participating in such program in order to maximize the effectiveness of associated public investments.

Tradeoffs in Brush Management for Water Yield and Habitat Management in Texas: Twin Buttes Drainage Area and Edwards Aquifer Recharge Zone

With the current population boom, the number of Texas residents will almost double by 2030. With the expected increase in demand for water, the scarcity of water is an urgent issue and research is being conducted to find ways to improve water yield. Rangelands provide the major catchments for both surface reservoirs and aquifers. Brush control as a means of increasing water yields was first studied in the 1970s (Bach and Conner 2000) and a number of studies have reviewed the feasibility of removing brush as a means to increase water yields (Wilcox 2002). For example, a study on the North Concho River watershed (Upper Colorado River Authority, 1998) indicated that removing brush could result in a significant increase in water yield and, in response to this report, the Legislature for the State of Texas appropriated funds to study the feasibility of this practice on eight additional watersheds (Bednarz et al., 2000). The Texas Agricultural Experiment Station sponsored additional studies for two of these eight watersheds (Twin Buttes and Edwards Aquifer) to determine the tradeoff between brush management for increased water yield and wildlife habitat improvement. These two watershed areas are the subjects of this report. Since a significant portion of Texas lands are privately owned, it is important to account for landowners’ willingness to participate in any brush management program, especially when such programs are intended to produce off-site benefits. Landowner participation is generally dependent upon expected economic benefits received (Bach and Conner 2000). In our study, 300 questionnaires were each sent to randomly selected landowners from both the Edwards Aquifer Recharge Zone and the Twin Buttes (Middle and South Concho River) Drainage Area. Names and addresses of rural landowners with tracts of 50 or more acres were compiled with the help of local county appraisal districts. In the questionnaire, survey participants were asked several questions to measure their willingness to participate in different scenarios, as well as the amount of compensation required. This report examines the results of the survey. Of the 300 questionnaires sent to the Edwards Aquifer area, 131 were returned and usable, 50 were returned but unusable, and 119 were never returned. In the Twin Buttes area, 141 questionnaires were returned and usable, 38 were returned but were unusable, and 121 were not returned. This report examines each watershed separately. All survey questions are considered. Results include mean, median, and quartile data, and frequency distributions

Fighting Wildfire with Prescribed Fire in the Southern Great Plains, USA: Liability, Regulatory and Social Factors

Elevated fuel loads together with hotter and drier climatic conditions are expected to produce more frequent catastrophic wildfires in rangelands. This has led to calls for more prescribed fire to reduce fuel loads. However, perceptions that prescribed fire presents substantial legal liability risks hinder its use by landowners. Here we present research findings about the perceptions of landowners, county commissioners and district court judges regarding prescribed fire in the Southern Great Plains. The extent of liability incorporated in legal statutes pertaining to prescribed fire can affect the use of this land management tool, and the enactment of burn bans by county officials can prevent the use of prescribed fire during conditions under which invasive volatile woody plants are most effectively controlled by fire. In states with gross negligence standards for applying prescribed fire landowners burn more than in states with simple negligence standards. The findings highlight several foci for increasing the use of fire to better manage volatile woody plants. These include reformulating legal statutes affecting the use of prescribed fire; better informing county officials about the wildfire mitigation benefits of prescribed fire to reduce volatile fuels; and the widespread establishment of prescribed burning associations to provide training, equipment and labour for land managers to apply prescribed fire safely

Rising Great Plains fire campaign: Citizens' response to woody plant encroachment

Despite years of accumulating scientific evidence that fire is critical for maintaining the structure and function of grassland ecosystems in the US Great Plains, fire has not been restored as a fundamental grassland process across broad landscapes. The result has been widespread juniper encroachment and the degradation of the multiple valuable ecosystem services provided by grasslands. Here, we review the social-ecological causes and consequences of the transformation of grasslands to juniper woodlands and synthesize the recent emergence of prescribed burn cooperatives, an extensive societal movement by private citizens to restore fire to the Great Plains biome. We discuss how burn cooperatives have helped citizens overcome dominant social constraints that limit the application of prescribed fire to improve management of encroaching woody plants in grasslands. These constraints include the generally held assumptions and political impositions that all fires should be eliminated when wildfire danger increases.Peer reviewedNatural Resource Ecology and Managemen

First In A Series: Charting Our Changing Course

The Rangelands archives are made available by the Society for Range Management and the University of Arizona Libraries. Contact [email protected] for further information.Migrated from OJS platform March 202